8/10

A musician’s lonely road to redemption with his family, and self respect in a musical career spanning over four decades is the driving force for one, “Danny Collins”. Al Pacino stars as aging 1970s rocker Danny Collins, who can’t give up his party hard lifestyle. But when his manager (Christopher Plummer) uncovers a 40 year-old undelivered letter written to him by John Lennon, he decides to change course and embarks on a heartfelt journey to rediscover his family, find true love and begin a second act worthy of his biggest celebrity fan. The movie entertains it’s audience for most of the one hour and forty minute run time with quirky comedic banter from it’s main star. Pacino hasn’t delivered a well rounded performance like this since 1998’s “The Devil’s Advocate”. Collins puts him back at top form as one of the top tiers of Hollywood’s golden ages. The film makes no reservations for wanting to stay with just one genre of expertise. To best sum it up, it’s a dramedy that brings the chuckles, but delivers a strong punch from a plot twist midway through that spotlights some brilliant hard work in dramatic situations from it’s stellar supporting cast. Jennifer Garner, Bobby Cannavale, Annette Benning, and Melissa Benoist all shine in their split times on camera. Cannavale and Pacino’s relationship really felt authentic in the case of a father who has wronged his son. Cannavale’s character is angry while trying to protect his family at the same time. Something we can all understand, but we still have the voice inside that really wants these two to be together. Who really stole the film for me was the great, Christopher Plummer. Christopher is a manager and best friend to Pacino, and you feel like he may be the only solid decision that Collins ever made. They know each other better than anyone, and it’s Plummer’s ability to see through Pacino’s foggy decisions that ultimately gives him the voice of reasoning that he needs to get his life back. I was really surprised with how serious the tone of the film changed after the plot twist. Outside of it, there was never really a time when this movie wasn’t predictable (one of it’s few flaws), but the movie ultimately changes when Collins does, and it all makes perfect sense. I was a little disappointed with the presentation of Benning and Pacino’s on screen scenes. Their dialogue is fine enough, but it’s their lack of general direction from film’s beginning to end that doesn’t progress much. For a trailer that was 80% about them and their chemistry, the movie chooses not to focus as much on it. I think Benning’s role could’ve been a little bigger, but i suppose it’s nice to see a man/woman relationship in a movie that focuses on friendship first. The film’s soundtrack is very satisfying for any John Lennon fans. There were nine Lennon songs used in the film, and this made me think that the user rights must have been insanely expensive to procure such a feat, but producer Jessie Nelson is good friends with Yoko Ono, and was able to secure the rights at a reasonable cost. It’s a good thing, because of the plot, it makes sense that Lennon is the prime melody taking Danny on his journey. Writer and Director, Dan Fogelman (Crazy Stupid Love), really delivers with his most touching film to date. I knew where the film was going at all times, but i still felt very entertained by the energetic acting, and sound structure. It was a delightful film that i hope a lot of people get to see. “Danny Collins” isn’t just music to my ears, it’s also charmingly touching to my soul.